July 31, 2013 Military Aviation News
07/31/2013
Israel intends to order 25 Lockheed Martin F-35 fifth-generation fighters, with an option for 50 more. If it wants them quickly, as expected, the news could help some other international partners in the Joint Strike Fighter program. The Israelis have asked for an early multi-year buy (MYB) to reduce the unit cost of their first F-35s. At more than $120 million each, early production F-35As are almost three times as expensive as those to be procured during full-rate production.
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07/31/2013
A Senate subcommittee on Tuesday approved a spending measure that would give the Pentagon $594 billion in fiscal 2014, slap new spending restrictions on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, and provide more money for two shipbuilding initiatives.
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07/31/2013
An enhanced version of the MQ-1C version of General Atomics’ Predator Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) took to the air July 26, 2013 at the company’s El Mirage Flight Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif. It was the first flight of the U.S. Army’s Improved Gray Eagle (IGE), a next-generation derivative of the combat-proven Block 1 Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) that has accumulated over 70,000 flight hours since 2008.
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07/31/2013
Turkish ambitions to build a “made-in-Turkey” fighter aircraft and buy scores of the new generation, multinational combat jet F-35 may go beyond Turkey’s financing capacity. Defence industry officials estimate that building eight prototypes for what will become the Turkish national fighter would cost Ankara over $10 billion. “Any figure in the range of $11 billion to $13 billion would be realistic,” a senior official familiar with the programme said.
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07/31/2013
India's quest to indigenize its military aviation sector has taken a sharp nosedive, with a bitter battle raging between the country's only aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and its primary customer IAF on projects ranging from trainer aircraft to the futuristic fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA).
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07/31/2013
The combat aircraft to replace the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s current fleet of MiG-29 jet fighters has not been decided on, said the Prime Minister. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak added that the recent incursion in Sabah by Sulu terrorists had forced the Government to take a look at the country’s defence strategies.
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07/31/2013
The U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin reached an agreement in principle for the next two F-35 Lightning II aircraft production contracts (Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) lots 6 and 7), which is expected to include 71 stealth fighter aircraft and continue a reduction in F-35 aircraft pricing. The contracting effort spanned six months from proposal to settlement.
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07/31/2013
Boeing Defence Australia (BDA), a local subsidiary of The Boeing Company, has taken over prime responsibility for supporting the Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) fleet from Boeing in the U.S. The move ensures a continued high level of readiness for the nation’s command and control aircraft fleet.
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07/31/2013
A Russian-built aircraft carrier due to be delivered to the Indian Navy following a much-delayed refit has successfully passed engine tests during the first stage of final sea trials in the White Sea, shipbuilder Sevmash said Tuesday. The current trials focused on the ship's propulsion system and its ability to perform as required.
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07/31/2013
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved a plan to implement a state program on aviation industry development in 2013-2015, the government said in a statement Tuesday. The plan is part of a broader state program to develop the industry until 2025 that was endorsed by the government in December 2012. The program aims to make the sector highly competitive and help it regain its positions on the international market.
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